There are many different types and kinds of musical instrument stands and support devices.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,818 describes a stand that is adapted to support a musical instrument, such as a guitar, in an upright manner and is assembled or disassembled in a rapid and convenient manner. The stand includes a pair of spaced-apart, upright L-shaped members inclined toward one another. The members each include forwardly projecting, spaced-apart foot portions that support a bottom portion of the musical instrument. Strut members extend between the L-shaped members to secure them in place. A support device that is releasably attached to the upper portion of at least one of the L-shaped members supports the upper portion of the musical instrument. The support device is also adapted to support sheet music. A foot rest, configured to rotate between a horizontal use position for receiving and supporting the foot of a user and a generally vertical position, is provided to support the foot of a user during the playing of the musical instrument. In the horizontal use position, the foot rest supports the foot of the user. In the vertical position, the foot rest rotates behind the musical instrument so that it does not contact the musical instrument when it is resting on the stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,096 describes an anti-rotational outdoor shelf that has an unobstructed surface that abuts a natural surface and that is supported from below. The unobstructed surface has multi-dimensional stability that is provided by legs that are angled with respect to a central axis so that load forces are transformed into stabilizing forces and undesirable tipping, rotation, and revolution about a support member are avoided. A gap exists between the unobstructed surface and the natural support, e.g., a tree, so that a tight attachment between the outdoor shelf and the natural support is not needed and vertical sliding of the legs can occur. The design compacts when not temporarily installed through the slidable connections.
The devices disclosed in the foregoing-mentioned patents have been satisfactory for some applications, but it is desirable to have a musical instrument stand that can be assembled and disassembled quickly and readily transported in a knocked-down form. The musical instrument stand should be useful for different kinds of musical instruments such as guitars, saxophones or the like and should have the capability to support the musical instruments in a substantially vertical position when not in use. The musical instrument stand should also be configured to support sheet music while the user is playing the musical instrument and be adjustable to different heights depending on the position of the use. For example, the musical instrument stand should be adjustable to a sitting or standing position while the user is performing or be adjustable so that the stand may be used, alternatively, as a desk stand or table that has the capability to hold a can or glass. The musical instrument stand should be relatively inexpensive to manufacture and aesthetically pleasing in appearance.